The Betrayed Princess Rising (Lylah and Ezra) novel Chapter 378

Chapter 378

3rd Person’s POV

That night, Jude finally gave in to the instincts prowling beneath his skin. His wolf refused to let the matter die quietly. So he summoned Thane and the others.

Ever since Cora arrived in Lunaris, they had protected her because of Jax Stillward. Because they believed she carried the blood of the honorable warrior who had once saved their lives. Out of loyalty to the dead. they had indulged her, defended her, stood at her side without question.

Only now did they realize the truth.

Cora had been using that loyalty like chains wrapped around their throats.

Turning them into obedient dogs that answered at the slightest pull of her hand.

“Adopted or not,” Jude said at last, his voice low with restrained disgust, “there’s nothing of Jax left in Cora.”

His jaw tightened.

“She’s Eldric’s daughter in every way that matters.” A dark edge entered his tone.

A low growl rumbled somewhere in the room.

No one disagreed.

Victor Ross leaned back in his chair, amber eyes cold beneath the dim lighting. “I also realized it the night she got engaged to Rowan Blackfang,” His expression darkened. “Jax was an honorable wolf. That kind of blood leaves traces. Cora has none.”

Silence followed.

“Jax’s real daughter is dead,” Victor muttered heavily, grief roughening his voice. “And now there’s no one left for us to repay that debt to.”

At the far end of the room, Thane Blackridge finally pushed himself away from the wall.

The movement drew every gaze instantly.

His wolf flickered dangerously close to the surface, gold briefly igniting in his eyes before fading again. But his scent had changed.

As though some instinct buried deep within him had suddenly awakened.

“Or,” Thane said quietly, “maybe she never died at all.”

The room stilled.

Even the wolves fell silent beneath their skin.

Logan Silver frowned first. “What are you talking about?”

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11:43 Tue, May 12 MO

Chapter 378

Thane’s gaze lifted slowly. “There’s only one person I can think of.” His voice remained calm, but the weight behind it made the air feel colder. “Lylah.”

The name settled over them like thunder before a storm.

Jude straightened immediately.

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

Isaac looked genuinely shaken.

Thane continued, “What if Eldric lied from the beginning? What if Lylah wasn’t adopted?” His wolf stirred violently now, instincts sharpening with every piece falling into place. “What if she and Cora were switched from birth?”

The silence that followed felt almost supernatural, as if fate itself had stepped into the room.

“My sister Iris is close to Lylah,” Isaac said slowly, his brows drawn tight as old conversations resurfaced in his mind. “She once told me Lylah believed she was born in Ironcrest. And grew up thinking Eldric and Daia were her real parents… until they cast her out like she meant nothing.”

His voice darkened with quiet anger.

“If Lylah truly had another family somewhere in Ironcrest, she would’ve known she was adopted.” Isaac Grey looked around the room grimly. “But she didn’t. Which means she probably never was.”

The air grew heavier.

“And there’s something else,” Isaac continued. “When Lylah found her mate here in Lunaris, no birth family came for the mating ceremony.” His gaze sharpened. “Among our kind, that doesn’t happen unless there’s no family left to come.”

Silence fell instantly.

Then Isaac spoke the thought none of them had wanted to voice aloud.

“What if Lylah’s real parents were already dead? And what if those parents were Jax and Vala Stillward?”

No one moved. No one breathed.

And slowly, horribly, all their thoughts drifted toward the same two names.

Jax and Vala Stillward.

The pieces fit too perfectly now.

Lylah’s eyes. The quiet familiarity in the way she carried herself. The dignity she held onto even after everything she had suffered.

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